“While GTA allows players to immerse themselves in a fictional underworld of lawless activities, the individuals behind PlayerAuctions operate a real one,” asserts a lawyer representing Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of GTA 6 and Borderlands, in a complaint filed against PlayerAuctions. This complaint, filed on Tuesday, accuses PlayerAuctions of selling modified player accounts obtained through hacking. This is not the first time PlayerAuctions has faced such accusations, as they have previously been accused by Roblox as well, as reported by Polygon.
(I can’t help but admire the attempt to glamorize GTA’s “fictional underworld of lawless enterprise” during a legal battle. “While GTA lets players engage in cool and fun fake crimes…”)
“The website PlayerAuctions.com is home to a vast online marketplace with numerous listings for unauthorized GTA V content, including heavily modified player accounts, in-game assets, and virtual currency obtained through hacking software, cheats, and technical exploits,” states the complaint.
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According to Polygon, selling a GTA Online account to another player is not explicitly illegal, but it goes against the terms of service. The complaint includes allegations of copyright and trademark infringement in addition to this alleged infringement.
Take-Two claims that PlayerAuctions offers account boosting, modded accounts, and currency drops, providing players with an unfair advantage by starting GTA V with billions in virtual currency and a vast array of in-game content only achievable through hacking and breaching the Rockstar terms of service.
“Some listings advertise ‘unlock all’ accounts with maxed-out character levels and almost all in-game assets available in GTA Online,” they continue. “Furthermore, users who purchase Account Boosting Services temporarily hand over control of their GTA V account to an unknown third party, violating the Rockstar terms of service and disclosing their account information, including passwords.” According to Polygon, PlayerAuctions takes at least a 12.99% fee, with the lawsuit alleging this amounts to potentially tens of millions or even over 100 million dollars.
“Through its website’s scale, PlayerAuctions poses a threat to the GTA V player experience by disrupting game balance and fairness. PlayerAuctions also encourages behavior that could lead to a ‘race to the bottom,’ where innocent players feel compelled to buy unauthorized digital goods or services or resort to cheating to keep up with PlayerAuctions’ customers,” state Take-Two.
A skeptic might interpret the above as a plea to protect the integrity of Shark Cards. However, with GTA V’s reported revenue of £6.9 billion since its release, it’s simply a testament to successful video game sales.
Polygon reports that Roblox also sued PlayerAuctions for similar claims last month. Take-Two’s latest offering to GTA V players is the reportedly flawed GTA V Enhanced Edition.
